Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the team’s last eight games, will not return tonight in Sacramento (10 ET, League Pass). Porzingis has been out because of soreness in his right knee, and was planning to suit up against the Kings before being downgraded.
UPDATE: #Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness) has been downgraded to OUT. Porzingis will not play tonight in Sacramento. https://t.co/8MXIAO8iHR
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) January 16, 2020
The 7-foot-3 sharpshooter has been out since New Year’s Eve with his knee issue. Porzingis’ recovery was also delayed in part because of an illness as well. ESPN reported on Jan. 9 that Porzingis received a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection to help treat the injury. Coach Rick Carlisle had earlier discussed Porzingis’ expected return:
KP BACK. 🙌
Listen in as Coach Carlisle shares an update.@kporzee | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/BxcdgIr9ps
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 16, 2020
Dallas has struggled during Porzingis’ absence, going 4-4 with losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. When Porzingis last played for the Mavs — in a 108-95 loss on Dec. 29 to the Lakers — they were the No. 5 team in the Western Conference. Since then, they have fallen to No. 6 and are just 2 games ahead of the No. 7-seeded Thunder.
Porzingis has been solid in his first full-season with the Mavericks. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks over 31 games. The 24-year-old missed over a season of action from 2018-19 due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
